ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received the inquiry report into alleged irregularities in the Rs170 billion Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) Tranche-III project, with an official decision expected within the week.
According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, the findings were submitted to the premier in a sealed envelope, and he is likely to decide the fate of the probe “within a day or so.”
In August, the prime minister had suspended eight senior National Highway Authority (NHA) officials and constituted a committee to investigate serious procedural lapses, including alleged ghost tendering, in the award of contracts under the Carec project.
The inquiry committee was headed by retired federal secretary Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmed, with members including the commerce division secretary, retired NHA member Mukhtar Ahmed Durrani, retired chief engineer Akbar Ali, and a planning commission representative.
The panel was tasked with examining NHA’s practices related to blacklisting contractors, assessing transparency in technical bid evaluations, reviewing the grievance redressal process, identifying potential delays in project execution, and recommending a way forward.
However, concerns have been raised by the Economic Affairs Division committee regarding the transparency of the inquiry, noting that the NHA has not provided key documents to the Senate committee for the past four months.
The Carec Tranche-III project — funded by the Asian Development Bank — has also come under review by multiple Senate and National Assembly committees, as well as the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
In September, the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division had recommended blacklisting a joint venture of three firms awarded contracts by the NHA in violation of procurement rules. The committee further advised that the Asian Development Bank be informed about the alleged manipulation of bids by NHA officials and contractors.
The Carec initiative, launched in 1997 by the ADB, aims to foster regional economic cooperation among Central Asian countries. Under Tranche-III, road construction projects include Lot-1 (Rajanpur–Jampur, 58km), Lot-2 (Jampur–DG Khan, 64km), Lot-3 (DG Khan–Tibbi Qaisrani, 112km), and Lot-4 (Tibbi Qaisrani–DI Khan, 96km).
Story by Syed Irfan Raza
